TUAOA The Key to My Heart
by Chewie Cookies
Summary: The World Mind. A treasure of great importance. Through a series of events, Hinata has become the 'key' to this treasure, and now almost everybody is after her. Can her friend and comrade, Naruto Uzumaki, protect her, and give her her former life back?
1. Orochimaru's Scheme

The Key to My Heart

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction.

Chapter One

_Orochimaru's Scheme_

One day, eight years after Kyuubi's attack...

Hinata was terrified. Bound, gagged, and knocked out, she had been taken from her home in the middle of the night. She had no idea where she was, or even what village her kidnapper was from, due to having been stuffed in a bag. She couldn't even call upon her chakra, due to the seal that had been placed on her at some point.

"Oh, what have we here?" a cruel, snake-like voice said from somewhere outside of the bag. At this point, whoever had been carrying the bag had stopped.

"Y-you're...Orochimaru?" Hinata's captor exclaimed, frightened for his life. Suddenly, Hinata's fears increased tenfold. She'd heard of Orochimaru, and why he had been forced to leave Konoha. She began struggling again, but a crippling aura of malice spread through the air.

"So, Kumo's trying to get the Byakugan again, are they? I'm very sorry, but I think I'll be taking the girl. She has a very special future awaiting her, after all..." the voice identified as Orochimaru's added, and in an instant, Hinata felt her limp body fall from the Kumo nin's grip, the sound of steel piercing flesh coming not a moment later.

"D-damn you...Snake Sannin..."

Hinata's attempts to escape resumed, and she prayed somebody would come, but it was all for naught, as darkness consumed her world once again.

Half a month later, with Jiraiya

The toad sage was hotter on Orochimaru's trail than ever, and he knew he had to get to him fast. There was no telling what the man had done to the Hyuuga girl he'd intercepted when Kumo had attempted to kidnap her. Leaping from tree to tree, he was startled when a large snake attacked him.

"It appears you've been looking for me, too, dobe," the white serpent said, his tongue slithering out of his mouth as it flicked around. "You've been looking for that Hyuuga girl, correct?"

Jiraiya growled. "What did you do to her, Orochimaru?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Orochimaru feigned a hurt look. "Oh, you know me better than that, Jiraiya. You know exactly what I do to people. However, this girl is special, and I will let you people of the Leaf have her back for a few more years...You see, I've finally found _that_ treasure, and she now carries the key seal. However, she won't be usable until she and the seal have bonded, so I'll let her live her life a little longer, knowing that in the end, all she'll be is a tool. Now, don't stop me from summoning this snake. It's very important that I get it here, and that I kill it just right. After all, she can only survive for so long in its stomach," Orochimaru explained.

Jiraiya grimaced as his former friend summoned a large Anaconda, and slit its stomach open, revealing a scantily clad girl inside, who seemed to have been unconscious for a good long while, if the sleepy look on her face was anything to go by, so it's possible Orochimaru had a bit of a heart and knocked her out before he fed her to his pet. What really startled him was the intricate sealing pattern covering the girl's back. Jiraiya was almost completely unprepared when the snake Sannin suddenly threw the girl high into the air, in a way that she'd certainly fall on her head and die if nothing was done.

"Dammit!" Jiraiya shouted, leaping up to catch the girl. Soon enough, she was safe in his arms, but when he looked to see what Orochimaru was planning, the snake was gone...

Konoha, a few days later

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hokage-sama? That boy's apartment _is_ the safest place in the village, but I'm not sure I'm very comfortable about letting my daughter stay there, especially since we've only just gotten her back..." Hiashi Hyuuga, Hinata's father, queried.

"Do not worry so much, Hiashi. You, your wife, and Hanabi-chan will all have your chakra signatures keyed in to the apartment's security seals, so you may all visit Hinata whenever you wish. As for Naruto-kun, don't believe everything you hear. I've talked with him about this, and he's made it clear he won't do anything out of line with Hinata. He even offered to let her keep the bed to herself for the rest of her time there, until I let him know I'd gotten another bed. Naruto-kun cherishes his friends more than anything in the world, so he will not be a problem," Hiruzen replied, then added, "In fact, he just might be what Hinata needs to get out of the rut she's in now. I've seen them interact, and it looks a lot like the girl has a bit of a crush on Naruto, and I'm certain he could do a lot better than Haruno, who seems to only see him as a punching bag at this point. It'll be a good experience for both of them, you'll see."

Izumi Hyuuga, Hinata's mother, who was sitting by Hinata's hospital bed with baby Hanabi in her arms, smiled. "Naruto-chan would be a good influence on Hinata, my love. Definitely a better influence than the members of our clan. She needs somebody open and friendly to spend time with, and Naruto-chan fits that bill perfectly. And if something romantic comes of this, I can think of nobody who'd treat our daughter better," the woman said, her tone giving away how happy she was to have her daughter back. She then turned to said daughter, and asked, "What do you think about all of this, Hinata? It's your opinion that matters most, after all."

Hinata nodded, the first smile in a long time showing on her face. "I-I'd like that, Mother, Father...A-as long as N-Naruto-kun is o-okay with it," she said softly, then, stammering a bit, asked, "M-may I hold Hanabi-chan a bit? I w-want to l-let her know I'll be s-staying away from h-home for a bit."

Izumi nodded, handing the little child to Hinata. Hinata smiled softly at the little one. "Neechan...Wuv you..." Hanabi babbled, two of the words being her favorite.

Hinata giggled, and let Hanabi play with her hair. "I love you too, Imouto. I'm going to be staying away from home with a friend for a while. You remember what 'friend' is, right?" she said softly.

Hanabi nodded, and grinned a toothy smile. "Wiskuhs!" she exclaimed happily.

Hinata giggled lightly. "Yes, it's the friend with the whiskers. His name is Naruto. Can you try to say 'Naruto'?" she asked softly, smiling as Hanabi moved to playing with her fingers.

"NAWUTO!" Hanabi exclaimed, waving her arms out excitedly.

Hinata let out a tiny laugh at her baby sister's excited shout. "Yes! Good job, Hanabi-chan!" she praised, lifting the little girl up in the air in front of her then bringing her back down smoothly, causing her to giggle like crazy. Hinata smiled sadly at her baby sister. "I've got something wrong with me, and bad people might come and try to get me again. So I'm going to be staying with Naruto-kun for a while, since his house is very safe. Now, I want you to be good for Mommy and Daddy while I'm gone, okay? Mommy and Daddy promise to bring you to see me once in a while, so this isn't goodbye, but I'll still miss you, okay?" she explained slowly.

Hanabi seemed to contemplate this for a while, then reached up to hug her tiny arms around her sister's neck. "Miss you, Neechan," she babbled softly, sounding sad.

Hinata nodded to her sister. "It's okay. At least those mean old elders won't be bothering me!" she replied, then gave the little bundle an Eskimo kiss and handed her to her mother, then told her father, "Make sure you visit o-often. I'll w-want to know w-what's going on in the clan. A-also, I k-know he won't c-care much, but p-please give Neji my b-best wishes, and t-tell him I'll m-miss him."

Hiashi nodded. "I'll be sure to do all of those things. You just make sure to let me know if Naruto does anything...inappropriate," he answered.

Hiruzen nodded, seeing that business had been settled for the most part. "The academy will let out soon. Naruto-kun will be by to take you home with him, so please wait patiently. I'm sure he'll be happy to be having a friend staying with him," the aged Kage said, then turned around and headed out of the room. "I do hope things work out well, Hinata. My student Jiraiya has decided to ask some of his summons to help him manage his spy network so he can stay here in Konoha, so Orochimaru will have to think twice before coming here for you. Please, try not to worry about things," he added, then closed the door to the hospital room.

An hour later, with Naruto

The usually enthusiastic whiskered boy was feeling down. He knew he should be happy, what with his friend Hinata being alive and well, and the fact that they were going to be spending more time together, but after what had happened at the Academy today, he couldn't seem to be as happy as he should about it.

When he'd heard about what had happened to Hinata, he had been devastated. Sure, she might not talk to him much, or interact with him as often as others, but when she did, she never had anything rude or mean to say. That, and she always seemed to have a little extra of her bento that she'd secretly give to him. She probably thought he didn't know, but he saw her putting it on his desk once, and he knew she followed him around, so maybe she wanted to be friends, but she was just nervous. All in all, Naruto considered her to be a very nice person, and he was glad she was safe and that they'd be spending more time together.

But a little after Hinata's kidnapping, Sakura Haruno, the former girl of his dreams, had approached him, and said she'd be his girlfriend. Naruto had been elated! They'd go on dates, spend time together after class, but all she seemed to talk about was Sasuke. Thinking back, he should have seen what happened today coming.

Sakura had _used_ him, in the hopes of making Sasuke jealous. Today, he'd overheard her talking with some of her friends about it, and it broke his heart. When he'd confronted her about it, she hit him over the head, really hard, and called him a moron for ruining her plan.

"_Well, at least Hinata probably won't try anything like that. She's probably the only girl who _doesn't _fawn over Sasuke..."_ he thought to himself. Wiping away his tears, he plastered on his false smile, and headed into the hospital, soon making it to Hinata's room.

Knocking on the door, he heard a voice that gave him a distinct feeling of warmth call out, "Come on in, Naruto-chan." Not being one to refuse such a welcome, Naruto walked right in.

Inside, he saw Hinata sitting in a hospital bed, and his heart nearly broke upon seeing how worn out she looked compared to when he'd last seen her. Unable to restrain himself, with all that had been going on, he rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. "Hinata! Y-you're really back!" he exclaimed, causing the girl to nearly jump out of her skin.

"N-Naruto-kun?" she exclaimed, confused by the boy's actions. She slowly put her arms around him, and asked, "W-what is it?"

Naruto sniffled a little. "You're home...You're really home! I'm so happy! I...I was worried I was gonna lose one of my precious friends!" he babbled, startling Hinata with his statement.

"P-precious...friend...? I-I guess I a-am your friend...B-but we d-don't really d-do much together..." the blunette stammered. Looking up at her mother, who sat in a chair nearby, she smiled softly, happy for this small victory in the fight to win her crush's heart.

Izumi smiled at her eldest daughter, and cleared her throat, getting Naruto's attention. "I'm glad you were so worried for my daughter, Naruto-chan. My name is Izumi Hyuuga, and the little one in my arms is Hanabi-chan," she explained, introducing herself and her youngest daughter.

Naruto let go of Hinata, and turned to the two. "It's nice to meet you," he said, wiping away the tears. "I'm sorry for being so emotional. I've had a bit of a rough day." He paused a moment. "But Hinata's probably been going through tougher things," he added softly.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, getting the boy's attention. "I...admit t-that I'll be n-needing your c-comfort a lot, b-but we're going to be...t-together for a while, so...y-you can depend on m-me for c-comfort, too," she continued, sounding firm despite her stutter.

Naruto gained a small smile. "Thanks, Hinata," he replied.

Izumi smiled at the two youngsters. "I'm sure you two will get along just fine. I'm going to get going now, and you two should probably do so as well," she said, then walked over to Hinata and wrapped an arm around her. "I'll miss you, my sunshine," she said softly, then turned to hug Naruto, surprising him, and told him, "You have a heart of gold, Naruto-chan. Thank you for letting my Hinata stay with you in her time of need." The Hyuuga Matriarch then left, hoping her husband was done with the clan business he'd had to leave to attend to earlier.

Naruto turned to Hinata, his smile back to being real. _"Sakura can't ruin something this great. Hinata's back, and I'm going to do my best to make sure she's happy,"_ he thought happily to himself, then asked Hinata, "Wanna go get some ramen with me? Teuchi-jiisan is really nice, and his ramen's the best in the world!"

Hinata smiled. She didn't really know how, but she had made Naruto happy. "T-that would be nice, N-Naruto-kun," she said softly.

So, they headed out.

Later, at Ichiraku Ramen

Hinata was worried. Naruto hadn't been eating his ramen the way he usually did. From what she understood, that meant something was terribly wrong. Whatever was bothering him was apparently a bigger deal than he had said.

"N-Naruto-kun...I-I understand if y-you don't want to t-talk about it, but...What exactly happened that's got you so s-sad?" the blunette asked softly, putting aside her third finished bowl of ramen.

Naruto looked scared for a moment, then seemed to look to the ramen stand owners for help. Unfortunately, they were both busy. It seemed like he wanted to tell her but was unsure whether or not he should.

Hinata, despite the heavy blush she knew it would cause, gently placed her hand on Naruto's to get his attention. "If you d-don't want to t-tell me, that's fine...b-but I r-really want the old Naruto-kun to come back. The one who p-pranks people all the t-time, the o-one who c-causes trouble...the one w-who never g-gives up," she stammered as she fought to remain conscious. Slowly, she pulled her hand away from Naruto's and took a few deep breaths to get the bits of blackness at the edge of her vision to recede. "S-sorry...I was feeling a little f-faint."

Naruto nodded, seemingly dropping the barrier keeping him from telling Hinata what was wrong. "Sakura-san...asked me to be her boyfriend a bit after you were kidnapped, but...it turns out she was just trying to make Sasuke-teme jealous..." he said softly, lowering his head in shame.

Hinata's eyes widened. _"Oh, God, poor Naruto-kun!"_ she thought to herself, then reached out to Naruto, and said sternly, "I w-won't let this stand, Naruto-kun. I d-don't know how I'll d-do it, but I'll make Sakura r-regret hurting you l-like this."

Naruto was startled by this response. Sure, she stuttered like always, but the way she said it made him feel that she _would_ do it. But he had to ask. "Why? Why would you do that for me?" he asked.

Hinata smiled softly, blushing a bit. "Y-you said it y-yourself. W-we're f-friends, Naruto-kun. I d-don't know w-why you consider me a f-friend, b-but I'll always t-treasure the b-bond we have," she said happily, a pleasant warmth growing in her chest.

Without warning, Naruto suddenly wrapped his arms around Hinata. "Thank you so much, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, deciding to use the cute honorific with his friend's name. Hinata, meanwhile, was struggling to remain conscious. Soon enough, Naruto let go, but he wasn't done with his unintentional assault on the blunette's conscious mind yet. "As for why I consider you a friend, well, you always followed me around when I trained because you wanted to be my friend, but I guess you were too shy to ever approach me. I always felt so encouraged by your presence!" the young jinchuuriki explained.

Hinata gasped. _"H-he knew? A-all this t-time? A-and I made him feel b-better by following him?"_ she stammered in her head, then finally, with a smile on her face, she lost her hold on the real world. Fortunately, Naruto was there to catch her.

"Hinata? Hinata! Oh, man! Why does she always do this?" he complained to nobody in particular.

Ayame, who had come back to the front of the shop, smiled. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I've heard she does that sometimes. She just has to grow out of it. Anyway, you should get her home. Don't worry about the bill. Dad and I decided it should be your treat tonight, and you didn't really eat that much anyway. Try to keep Hinata close, though. She's definitely a keeper," the younger Ichiraku explained, then shooed Naruto off.

Naruto managed to get home without any incidents and entered his home, using his chakra to allow him and Hinata past the barrier seal. Placing Hinata in the bed Sarutobi had had put in for her, he smiled at the girl, who still had a smile on her face. "Good night, Hinata-chan," he said fondly.

Naruto performed his nightly cleanliness rituals, changed into his pajamas (in the bathroom, since he didn't want Hinata to somehow wake up while he was changing), and went to bed, looking over at his friend as she slept peacefully.

He didn't know it, but it was the beginning of something beautiful between them...

End Chapter One


	2. Promises and Revelations

The Key to My Heart

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to, that pajama hat of Naruto's that looks like it's trying to eat his head.

Author's Note: I know this is a bad joke, but should I add my fics to the suspense genre, since I make you guys wait forever for updates? Sorry, it's a bad joke, but it had to be made.

Chapter Two

_Promises and Revelations_

Later that night

Naruto was awoken by the sound of whimpering. Getting up, he looked to the other side of the room to see his new roommate, Hinata, tossing and turning in her bed, obviously suffering from a nightmare.

"No, please," she mumbled quietly, her body wracked by sobbing. "Don't leave me alone! I don't want to be abandoned! I don't want to be alone!"

Naruto's heart went out to the girl. He'd had similar nightmares a long time ago, though they'd lessened with the help of counseling with Inoichi Yamanaka, and some good old bonding time spent with the Hokage and the Ichiraku family.

Naruto quickly got up and walked over to the girl's bed, shaking her gently to wake her up. The blunette shot up, eyes wide in fear, then calmed down, taking deep breaths. Slowly, she turned to face Naruto, streaks of tears falling down her face.

The blond gently placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "It's okay, Hinata-chan. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," he reassured the blunette, smiling warmly at her.

Hinata looked up into Naruto's eyes, then suddenly wrapped her arms around him, putting her head against his chest, and crying her eyes out. Naruto slowly put his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. The two of them remained that way for a while, before Hinata finally ran out of tears.

Tired out, Hinata mumbled, "May I sleep with you tonight? I feel safe like this, in your arms..."

Naruto blushed, like Hinata already was, but nodded. "If that will help you, that's fine with me," he said softly, lifting her up and moving her to the side a bit so he'd have room. Getting in the bed with her, he put his arms around his friend, despite how nervous he was.

Hinata blushed heavily as she relaxed in her crush's arms. "T-thank you so m-much, Naruto-kun," she stammered. Eventually, her heartbeat went down enough that she was able to relax. "I-if you ever need c-c-comforting, I'll h-help you, l-like I agreed to b-before." Naruto was unable to see her face, but he felt the heat from her blush and the smile on her face on his chest. This made him smile as well. Eventually, the girl's breathing slowed, and she relaxed completely in his arms.

"I promise I will never leave you, Hinata-chan."

The next morning

Naruto awoke, feeling very well-rested. He felt a slightly smaller body in his arms, and looked to see Hinata happily snuggled against his chest. He smiled sleepily, enjoying the sight of his friend looking so peaceful.

"Naruto-kun...Snuggly..." the blunette mumbled in her sleep. Naruto chuckled a little, but was startled an instant later when he heard somebody clear his throat behind him.

Turning, the blond saw a tall man with eyes like Hinata's and a stern visage glaring at him. "What are you doing with my daughter, boy?" the man asked.

Naruto didn't know why, but he knew that this man was very angry with him at the moment. "R-resting, s-sir. I'm g-guessing you're her father, Hiashi Hyuuga?" he replied, stammering due to his nervousness.

"That's Hiashi-sama to you, boy. And I can see that you are resting with her right now. What were you doing with her last night?" the man asked, still giving the boy that same glare.

"Well, I woke her up last night at one point, since she seemed to be having a nightmare, and she asked if I'd hold her for the rest of the night so she'd feel more comfortable, and I said I would. Is that bad, Hiashi-sama?" Naruto answered in a rush.

Hiashi's gaze softened. "Oh...I suppose I owe you an apology. I thought you had done something inappropriate to her..." the Hyuuga patriarch said in response.

Naruto frowned. "You weirdo! Hinata-chan and I are kids! We're too young to do stuff like that!" he the blond shouted angrily, accidentally waking Hinata up. "Besides, Hinata-chan's like a princess, and I'm just the village pariah," he continued quietly. "I don't deserve an awesome girl like her..."

Hiashi frowned upon hearing this, then was surprised when Hinata jumped out of the bed and started shouting. "D-don't you ever t-think that way, N-Naruto-kun! You're a g-great boy, and any girl l-like me would be lucky to b-be with a boy h-h-half as nice as you! P-personally, if I wound up m-married to you, I'd consider myself very l-lucky! So don't ever put y-yourself down like t-that again!" she shouted, crying slightly as she did so. She then realized what she just did, and that her father was even in the room, and she fainted right away.

Hiashi disappeared for an instant, moving quickly to catch his suddenly unconscious daughter before she hit the ground. Naruto smiled softly, taking Hinata's words to heart. "I hope your other daughter grows up to be as awesome as Hinata-chan. Then all three of us can be great friends and awesome ninjas!" he said happily.

The older Hyuuga groaned. _"This brat must be very dense, not to realize Hinata's feelings for him after that outburst. At least that means she'll have a chance to confess to him in a more appropriate manner some other time,"_ he thought to himself. "Yes, my daughter is very 'awesome', as you put it. It's only appropriate that she has awesome friends like you, don't you agree?" he replied. Naruto nodded, showing that he did, indeed, agree. "Please make sure she doesn't make friends with people who aren't 'awesome'. If you suspect somebody is not trustworthy, I'd like for you to keep them away from her, and let me know about them. My daughter is very good at judging a person's character, so her seeking you out to be a friend lets me know I can trust you with this task."

Naruto nodded, giving Hiashi a mock-salute. "Of course! I'll make sure to keep an eye out, Hiashi-sama!" he exclaimed.

Hiashi smiled. "Thank you. Now, why don't you get ready for the day? My wife and Hanabi will be here soon with breakfast. I'm sure you'll love my Izumi-chan's cooking," the older man replied.

Naruto nodded, and headed to the bathroom to get changed, as Hiashi carried Hinata to the kitchen, where he cradled her in his arms, waiting for her to wake up...

After breakfast

Naruto stretched, having enjoyed his breakfast immensely. He grinned at the Hyuugas, happy to have people over at his house. "Thank you all so much! It means a lot to me to have you have breakfast with me!" he exclaimed.

Hinata, who had gotten ready for the day shortly after Naruto had finished doing so, smiled at her parents and baby sister. "Yes, thank you for coming by. It's nice being home in Konoha again, even if I'm not home at the Hyuuga estate," she added.

Hanabi grinned from her booster seat. "Wuv you Neechan!" she squealed happily, sensing the happiness from the people in the room. She then reached out to Naruto, and shouted, "Wiskuhs! Up!"

Izumi smiled. "She wants you to pick her up, Naruto-chan," the woman said warmly, then turned to Hinata and suggested, "Hinata-chan, why don't you show him how to hold her?"

The two children blushed, Naruto at being referred to as Whiskers, and Hinata at being asked to show her crush how to hold a baby. Naruto got over the embarrassment first, and got up, heading over to the young brunette. Hinata blushed a bit more, but got up anyway, and walked with Naruto over to Hanabi.

Coaching Naruto, Hinata showed the whiskered boy how to properly hold a baby. Hanabi seemed to enjoy the attention from both of the eight-year-olds, smiling and giggling as Naruto held her with Hinata close by.

Izumi smiled as she watched the two of them. "Look, Hiashi-kun," she whispered softly, "Remember back when we were like that? The only difference is that we were both shy around each other! I really hope those two will be happy together."

Hiashi nodded, a small smile appearing slowly on his face. "He certainly does make her happy, just like you do for me," he replied just as softly.

Naruto, hearing the two of them whispering, asked, "What are you two whispering about? Are you two planning a date for yourselves later today or something?"

Hiashi and Izumi both blushed, and Izumi waved her hands, slightly frantic. "No, nothing like that! We were just reminiscing about the past, though a date would be nice, but not today," she replied sheepishly, then focused her gaze on Hinata and continued, "You have an appointment with Inoichi this morning, Hinata-chan, so you're excused from the academy for today."

Hinata nodded, frowning slightly. "A-all right, Mother." she said softly, not looking forward to the therapy session. She knew Inoichi was a good man, and he was nice to her. The problem was that visiting him reminded her that she had been captured by the enemy, and that she had suffered mental trauma from her time in captivity. She knew he was only trying to help her, but she didn't know if he could.

"We can make a fresh bento for Naruto-chan when we come back, and you can take it up to the academy for him. How does that sound?" Izumi suggested, knowing that such a thing would help Hinata feel better.

Hinata smiled and looked at her mother with a happy face, suddenly feeling much better. "That would be nice! Good idea, Mother!"

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Hinata-chan, Izumi-sama! I'm definitely going to be looking forward to lunchtime today!" he shouted excitedly, putting Hanabi back in her booster seat. "Well, I'm going to get going now! I'll see you guys later!"

With that, he was off. Hinata blushed, clasping her hands together. _"His smile...his true smile...It makes me so happy!"_ she thought to herself as she stared at the door the boy had just left through...

A few hours later, at the academy

Naruto grinned. _"Just a few more paragraphs, and I'll have this half of the day's notes all written down for Hinata-chan!"_ he thought to himself happily. It was early in the lunch break now, and he was hoping to have the notes done by the time Hinata came with his bento. He was interrupted from his thoughts, however, when a hand slapped the top of his desk. He looked up to see Sakura and some of her friends standing in front of his desk, grinning smugly at him.

"So, you're trying to pretend you're smart, huh?" Sakura said meanly, sneering at the blond. "Why do you bother? You'll never be as good as Sasuke-kun."

Naruto frowned. "These notes aren't for me. I'm writing them for Hinata-chan," he replied quietly, not wanting to deal with Sakura right now.

Sakura smirked. "Hinata-_chan_, huh? Aren't you aiming a little high, freak?" she asked, then continued, "Hinata's like royalty. A no-name orphan like you would never be able to end up with a well-groomed princess like her, so you might as well just give up."

A voice behind Sakura and the other girls was heard then. "Why d-don't you keep your nose out of N-Naruto-kun's business, S-Sakura? If he w-wants a p-princess, he's entitled to t-try and win her over," Hinata's voice called out. The blunette pushed through the throng of academy students and placed a large box down on Naruto's desk. "I made your bento extra large, N-Naruto-kun. I know you have to e-eat a lot with how much you t-train, so it's p-packed with lots of vitamins, and there are some sweets too," she said softly to the whiskered boy.

Sakura groaned. "Oh, puh-lease! You're pathetic, Hinata! We all know how you feel about Naruto, except for the brainless wonder himself!" the pinkette exclaimed, pointing a finger at Naruto and Hinata. "Maybe I should do you a favor and tell him, since you're so much of a coward!"

Hinata shivered. "P-please don't...I want to t-tell him o-on my own terms..." she whimpered, suddenly shrinking into herself a bit.

Naruto was nervous now. "What? W-what are you talking about, Sakura?" he asked quietly.

Sakura grinned. "You really are hopeless, Naruto. This pale-eyed weirdo has had a crush on you since before we all started the academy! But who am I kidding? You two are perfect for each other, what with both of you being losers and all!" she laughed cruelly.

Hinata suddenly lashed out, slamming a palm into Sakura and sending her flying to the other end of the room. She looked in Naruto's direction, feeling hopeless as he gazed at her in confusion, then bolted out of the room.

Panicking quite a bit, Naruto fumbled around for a moment, then grabbed the bento and Hinata's notes and rushed out, hoping to catch the blunette...

Later, in one of the parks, in an area hidden by several trees

Hinata sobbed quietly, curled up into a bundle. _"I didn't want him to find out this way...I wanted to get closer to him first, to gain courage from being with him, and tell him myself..."_ she thought to herself sadly. _"I didn't want it to be like this..."_

She was so lost in her sadness that she didn't notice Naruto until he was right behind her, panting heavily. "Jeez, you sure can run, Hinata-chan," the blond said through his ragged breaths. "I almost lost you!"

The boy sat down next to her, putting the bento and notes down beside them. It was silent for a moment, as he watched her cry, until he broke the silence. "Do you...do you really feel that way...about me?" he asked softly.

Hinata nodded, just barely, but Naruto saw it. "Y-you already k-know that I'm s-shy, Naruto-kun...I've a-always been that way...Y-you've actually h-helped me grow out of my s-shell a bit, though..." she whispered softly, then continued, "I...I wanted to tell you how I felt...so much...I wanted to tell you with my own words, on a nice day, with nobody else around...that I love you...I wanted to tell you myself, though...I wanted to..."

Hinata began sobbing even more, and Naruto patted her back. "You...sorta got your wish, just now. It's a nice day today, nobody else is in the park now, and, well, I believe I heard the words "I love you" come out of your mouth, and I'm pretty sure you were saying them to me," he said softly, attempting to cheer the girl up.

Hinata looked up, sniffling. "Y-you don't think I'm...weird?" she asked hesitantly.

Naruto grinned. "You're definitely weird, Hinata-chan, but that's why I like you!" he said happily. "I don't know about dating you, but the fact is, you're really growing on me, and to be completely honest, I've been happier the last half a day that I spent with you than I've ever been. I don't know if I like you like a girlfriend, but I certainly like you, and if I do wind up liking you like that, then at least I know I'll be happy with you!" he exclaimed.

Hinata smiled, wiping away her tears. "Thank you, Naruto-kun...Y-you don't k-know how much that m-means to me," she said softly.

Grinning even wider, Naruto exclaimed, "Now why don't we eat this bento while it's still hot? I can't wait to see how it tastes!"

Hinata giggled. "I actually made this myself. I hope you l-like it, Naruto-kun!" she said happily, her tears suddenly forgotten. And so, the two enjoyed the tasty bento together, then went home, Naruto deciding he didn't want to go back to see how much trouble he was in.

Later, in the Hokage's tower

Danzou was not happy. Hiruzen had decided that the Hyuuga girl they'd recovered would not be used to unlock the World Mind. _"Damn that peace-loving fool! We'll never have enough power for true peace if we keep sitting around doing nothing!"_ he thought to himself angrily. He was determined to voice his opinion to the old Hokage, and make sure he listened this time. Shisui's eye would definitely help with that.

He hobbled from his office to the Sandaime's. Upon making it there, he let himself in, not caring that such a thing was normally considered rude. He was one of the esteemed council. He could get away with being a little impolite once in a while.

Hiruzen looked up from his desk. "Hello, Danzou. I wasn't expecting you. Please, allow me to get us some tea. You seem just as stressed as I am right now, and it will definitely help calm our frayed nerves," the monkey summoner greeted.

Danzou stopped in place for a second. Tea didn't sound so bad right now. "Very well. I do need to be calm and rational in the Hokage's presence, after all," the old war hawk replied.

Sitting down, the two men waited, and were soon served tea, straight from the kettle. Danzou blanched upon seeing the childish image on his mug. There was a badly drawn frowning face on it on one side, and a smiley face on the other, and between the two sides, on the side where the handle was absent, there was writing, obviously done by a child, that said, "Turn that frown upside down!" Looking across the table, he saw that Sarutobi also had a mug with a childish drawing on it, this one being of who he supposed was Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage robes, and a boy sitting next to him wearing the Hokage hat.

Hiruzen chuckled. "I see you've taken interest in my favorite mugs! There are more, if you'd like to see them later. Little Naruto-kun made them for me a few years back. He is such a good boy, making presents for an old man like me!" he said mirthfully. "Now let's have a toast! To world peace!"

Danzou nodded, tipping his mug forward a little. "To world peace," he said, waiting for Sarutobi to drink from his mug before he drank from his. When the elderly Hokage took a nice long sip, Danzou decided it was safe to drink his own tea.

Hiruzen smiled, putting his cup down. "That feels much better. Now, what brings you to my office, Danzou?" he asked.

Danzou wasted no time, activating Kotoamatsukami with Shisui's Sharingan eye. "I believe we should be more proactive about Hinata Hyuuga's role as a shinobi, Hiruzen," he said casually.

Hiruzen frowned. "What would you suggest, Danzou?" he asked.

Danzou continued, knowing that now he'd get his way for sure. "Well, she is the key to the World Mind. If we find out where it is, and use her appropriately, we'll be able to defeat all the other major villages. A lasting peace would no longer be a pipe dream, with you as the leader to the united ninja nations," he explained. However, he suddenly seized up, feeling like his heart was on fire.

Sarutobi frowned. "I told you in the council meeting that I would not use poor Hinata in such a way. I did not tell you, however, that this room has a seal in it that eliminates any genjutsu cast in it the instant it's cast. Otherwise you wouldn't have bothered to come today, would you?" he replied.

Danzou gasped for breath. "H-how?! You drank from the same t-teapot!" he gasped.

"A trick I learned from my student, Tsunade. The tea isn't poisonous, however the powder I previously placed in the bottom of your mug is. I'm sorry, old friend, but your ideals would bring ruin to the shinobi world, not peace. Don't worry, you will be buried with full honors, and only a few will know of your treachery," the Sandaime said, watching with a sad look on his face as his old rival died. The elder Sarutobi lowered his head, very sorry that his rivalry with the head of ROOT had to end like this...

That evening, with Naruto and Hinata

The blond and blunette walked home happily, full from their meal at Ichiraku's. Hinata was poking her fingers together, a tiny smile on her face, along with a blush. Naruto was just grinning like he'd just been told he'd be Hokage tomorrow.

Hinata blushed even more as she got closer to Naruto. "Ne, N-Naruto-kun? Did you m-mean what you said l-last night? T-that you wouldn't l-leave me?" she asked quietly.

Naruto blushed a bit, and scratched his cheek with his index finger. "I thought you were asleep when I said that, but, yeah, I meant it. Why?" he replied.

Hinata frowned a little. "I n-need to show you s-something when we g-get home...You need to k-know what you'll be g-getting into before you d-decide that..." she said softly, sounding sad.

Naruto nodded, slightly unsure of himself. "O-okay," he said quietly.

When they got into the apartment, Hinata directed Naruto to the only room without windows, the bathroom. Hinata turned on the light, and turned away from Naruto. "C-close the door, and l-look the other way," she said, sounding very nervous.

Naruto nodded, doing what he was told, though he wasn't sure what was going on. He heard the sound of cloth being shuffled around, and heard something fall to the floor softly, and Hinata's voice mumbled, "T-turn around and l-look at me."

The blond did so, and was shocked. Hinata had taken her shirt off, and her bare back was completely visible to him. But that wasn't the shocking part. He saw, right then, the seal that Hinata had been marked with. It was the blackest of blacks, and looked like a snake with a head on both ends of its body, curling to form a figure eight, with a black circle in the center of the loops of the eight. That wasn't all, though. The seal was _pulsing_.

Hinata turned her head slightly so she could see Naruto. "This is the k-key seal, N-Naruto-kun...It binds me to the W-World Mind...I d-don't know if it will e-ever come o-off..." she explained sadly.

Naruto, as soon as he got over his shock, asked, "Does it hurt?"

Hinata shook her head. "No...It's b-bonding with my c-chakra network, but it d-doesn't h-hurt...However...I d-don't want you to g-get involved with this, with me, without k-knowing what's going on, what could h-happen," she explained.

Naruto frowned. "Please put your shirt back on, Hinata. I said it once, and I'll say it again, I won't leave you," he said, then smiled softly and added, "I promised, didn't I?"

Hinata smiled softly, then, in the blink of an eye, turned around and wrapped her arms around Naruto, burying her face in his chest, sobbing happy tears. "Thank you...Thank you so much..." she sobbed.

Naruto nodded. "You're welcome, Hinata-chan," he replied softly, putting her arms around her gently. "Now why don't you get ready for bed, and I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Hinata nodded, and Naruto left the room, letting Hinata get ready for bed in peace...

End Chapter Two


	3. The Orange Spark

The Key to My Heart

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to, THE LADLE.

Chapter Three

_The Orange Spark_

Chapter Start

Naruto walked down the street, ignoring the hateful looks of the villagers as he headed home. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that everything would be better when he got there.

Heading up the steps, he grinned a little. _"Almost there!"_ he thought to himself. As he got his chakra ready to open the door, his grin grew. _"Almost there!"_

He didn't really know why he was suddenly so anxious to get home, but when he opened the door, all his confusion flew out the window, and happiness reigned. "Welcome home, Naruto-kun!" Hinata's welcoming voice said as the blond gazed at her face from the doorway. The smile she wore upon seeing him warmed his heart greatly...and then he woke up.

In Naruto's room

Naruto groaned slightly as the sun's rays hit him smack-dab in the face. "That was a nice dream," he mumbled, turning to look to the other side of the room at Hinata's bed, only to see it empty and made. A few seconds later, he registered a mouth-watering smell entering his nostrils. Getting up, the young Uzumaki headed to the kitchen to investigate.

Upon arriving, Naruto was pleasantly surprised to see Hinata and Izumi working together to cook up some breakfast, or rather it seemed like Hinata was doing it all on her own and Izumi was giving pointers and making sure the younger blunette did everything right. Hanabi sat in a high chair at the table, giggling occasionally as she watched her sister and mother work their magic. Turning her head suddenly upon noticing his arrival, Hanabi laughed loudly and squealed, "Wiskuhs!"

Naruto grinned upon hearing the toddler's affectionate nickname. Izumi smiled at Hinata and patted her head encouragingly, then turned around to smile at Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto-chan. Hinata or I would have woken you, but you seemed to be dreaming about something really nice, so we decided to just let you wake up naturally. Hinata-chan wanted to make something nice for you for cheering her up yesterday, so I brought over ingredients for some pancakes," the Hyuuga matriarch explained.

Naruto grinned. "I've never had homemade pancakes! I can't wait!" he exclaimed happily.

The Hyuuga woman smiled wider. "Well, you won't have to wait very long. Hinata-chan is almost done. I'll help you set up the table while we wait, okay?" she suggested, and the two of them did so, finishing up just as Hinata did.

Naruto prepared to take a bite, not noticing Hinata and Izumi watching with bated breath. As soon as he took the first bite, he almost dropped his fork in disbelief.

Unable to take the tension for too long, Hinata nervously asked, "H-how is it?"

Naruto grinned. "This is great! Hinata-chan's homemade pancakes rock!" he exclaimed happily, then turned to the two of them and added, "I hope you two eat fast, or I might try to steal some of yours when I'm done with my share!"

Hinata smiled widely, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "I'm so glad you like it, Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed, then giggled as she saw him eating with the same gusto as he ate ramen.

Izumi giggled lightly as she watched Naruto and her children eat. "So, Naruto-chan, what were you dreaming about that made you smile so much?" she asked.

Naruto smiled softly, blushing a bit and looking at his food. "I was walking home, and for some odd reason, I had this feeling that something really good was going to happen when I got there. That feeling I had was totally right. Hinata-chan was there, waiting for me to come home...It made me so happy to have somebody to come home to," he said softly, choking up a little bit as happy tears came out from under his eyes.

Hinata blushed upon hearing this. _"Maybe he's starting to like me the way I like him...I hope so,"_ she thought to herself.

Shaking himself out of his teary mood, Naruto turned to Hinata and curiously asked, "Why's your face so red, Hinata-chan? You aren't coming down with something, are you?"

Izumi chuckled. "No, she's just blushing. It's probably because of what you said. I bet that made her very happy, though it's also making her bashful," she explained.

Naruto grinned. "I'm glad I made you so happy, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed.

Hinata smiled, still blushing. "Y-yes, you made me v-very happy, Naruto-kun," she replied.

The eldest Hyuuga in the room gasped slightly. "You two had better hurry up and get ready! You want to be at the Academy early today so Hinata can study the notes you made for her, right?" she said.

Naruto frowned slightly. "I couldn't get all the notes down for Hinata-chan, unfortunately," the blond elaborated.

Izumi nodded. "That's fine, Naruto-chan. You did your best, and Hinata told me that something unexpected came up yesterday anyway. I'm glad you handled the situation the way you did," the eggplant-haired woman consoled, then turned to Hinata and smiled, saying, "I'm very proud of you for sticking up for Naruto-chan like that. I'm sure he appreciates it."

Naruto nodded. "She's right-ttebayo! That was really awesome of you, Hinata-chan!" he said, grabbing clean clothes for a quick shower. They had plenty of time before the academy started, but as Naruto had figured out, Hinata wanted to get there early so she could study the notes he had made for her before class started.

Soon enough, they were off.

At the academy

Hinata smiled as she walked with Naruto through the academy gates, saying goodbye to her mother as they entered the academy grounds. Upon getting to the doors, though, they were stopped unexpectedly by Ino.

"Oh my gosh, Hinata, I wanna apologize for what Forehead pulled yesterday. She might not be sorry about it, but I certainly am for not stopping her in time. I hope everything worked itself out okay!" the blonde exclaimed, bowing her head down to her waist level. Rising back up, she continued, "He didn't go into any specifics, obviously, due to doctor-patient confidentiality, but Papa said you had a really rough time in captivity, and I want to help you out however I can. He never told me specifically what happened to you, but he's gone over what shinobi and kunoichi go through when taken captive by the enemy in his lessons. I'm not going to pry, but if that Orochimaru jerk tortured you or anything like that, and I find out, I'm SO adding him to my top enemy shinobi to take down list!"

Hinata and Naruto, somewhat flabbergasted by Ino's ranting, smiled slightly. "I think things went all right after that mess yesterday," Naruto said, grabbing Hinata's hand in his, causing the blunette to blush.

Hinata smiled as well. "Y-yes...Naruto-kun and I are much closer now. H-he doesn't know what he f-feels for me y-yet, but he w-wants to figure it out with me," she added happily.

Ino nodded, smiling. "I'm glad something good came of that fiasco. Now why don't we head on inside? I saved a couple seats for you two in the back," the mind-walker replied, ushering the young sorta-couple inside.

Upon reaching their seats, Hinata decided to sit in the middle, with Naruto on the window side, and Ino to the other side of their group, acting as a buffer between them and the rest of the class. Hinata pulled out the notes Naruto had given her and began reading.

Forty-five minutes passed, and Hinata was done going over the notes twice. The class was all seated, and all that remained was for Iruka to arrive. Five minutes later, that's exactly what happened. However, it appeared he wasn't alone.

"Class, today we will have an important guest. Jiraiya of the Sannin has decided to sit in on our class today," Iruka announced as the large, white-maned man entered the room.

Almost immediately, Hinata stood up and bowed. "J-Jiraiya-sama, I was told y-you were the one who b-brought me back to the village. Thank you v-very much!" she exclaimed quietly.

Jiraiya smiled gently. "Raise your head, Hinata. It was my civic duty to make sure my former teammate wasn't able to keep you in his clutches. I can only hope my presence in the village will prevent him from coming after you again," he said, then turned to the rest of the class and exclaimed, "Hinata Hyuuga here has spent time in enemy captivity. Because of that, she knows more about what being a shinobi is about than any of the rest of you in this room! Can any of you, besides Hinata, tell me what being a shinobi is about?"

Many people raised their hands, including Naruto. Grinning, Jiraiya picked him. "The brat in the orange. What's your answer?"

Naruto grinned. "If it has anything to do with Hinata, then it's gotta be courage, and never giving up!" he exclaimed.

Hinata blushed and smiled at him. _"Thank you for thinking that way about me, Naruto-kun!"_ she thought to herself.

Jiraiya grinned. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.

Naruto stood up. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be Hokage someday-ttebayo!" he exclaimed.

Sasuke scoffed. "Like a clan-less orphan like you could become Hokage," he muttered.

Jiraiya frowned. "I happen to be an orphan myself, and I'm one of the people in line to be Hokage if something happens to Sarutobi-sensei! So don't say that orphans can't become Hokage. And what the hell do you mean, 'clan-less'? He just said his last name is Uzumaki! Obviously, he's part of the nearly-extinct Uzumaki clan!" he exclaimed, then turned to Iruka and asked, "Kid, what have you been teaching these brats? How do they not know about one of Konoha's most respected ally clans?"

Iruka bowed. "I apologize, Jiraiya-sama, but as was stated earlier, Naruto is an orphan, and his parentage is unknown to me. Teaching about the Uzumaki clan in shinobi history was made optional a few years back, and since I have no way of knowing if he's really related to them or not, I didn't want to give him hope only for it to come crashing down in the event that he isn't an actual Uzumaki. Now that the information is out, though, I have no reason not to teach about it. Though, if you'd like to do the honors, Jiraiya-sama, that's fine with me. After all, you studied in their area of expertise, fuinjutsu," the young Chuunin explained.

Jiraiya nodded. When Sasuke went to speak, the old shinobi released some minor Killing Intent. "That's enough out of you, Uchiha. And for the record, Naruto, your answer was right, but you could have worded it in one word: GUTS!" he exclaimed, then went on, "Now, you all know that Konoha was founded by the Senju and the Uchiha. If these two clans were to be called the parents of Konoha, then the Uzumaki clan would have been the midwife, in charge of making sure the whole process went smoothly. The Uzumakis' wealth funded the Senju and Uchiha clans while they worked to get the Fire Daimyo's approval for the village. They also provided legislature for the village, having their own successful village whose laws they could base it off of. So, in a nutshell, the Uzumaki clan was the third founding clan of Konoha. They just happened to not be a part of Konoha. They had their own hidden village, Uzushiogakure no Sato. It was an island village, surrounded by great whirlpools powered by fuinjutsu. There was only one safe way in or out of the village, and that made it extremely difficult to invade."

Hinata raised her hand. "What happened to them?" she asked, curious about the people Naruto might have been able to call family.

Jiraiya frowned. "They were extremely powerful and extremely well-known. These two factors combined in the ninja world usually lead to extermination. And that's what the villages of Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa did twenty-seven years ago. The Uzumaki clan's abilities with their fuinjutsu made them greatly feared by everybody that wasn't their ally. This fear brought Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa together to create an army numbering nearly ten thousand. The Uzumaki clan had about five hundred able shinobi to fight them off. The majority of the Uzumaki may have died that day, but it's debatable who really won that battle," the toad sage elaborated.

Sakura frowned. "Well, obviously, the Uzumaki lost, right? I mean, you said they're nearly extinct," she wondered.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, however, they're only _nearly_ extinct. If Naruto here is an Uzumaki by blood and not just by name, they're well able to come back, and there are plenty of others scattered around the nations I bet. In other words, the three villages failed in their attempt to eliminate the Uzumaki clan. They also only had a few hundred of their army of nearly ten thousand left alive after the battle, and as I said, there were only around five hundred Uzumaki fighting the battle. In other words, number-wise, the Uzumaki won by a landslide, and again, they aren't all gone yet. And when they come back, they'll be even stronger than the last time!" Jiraiya explained with a grin.

Most of the class mulled it over, realizing eventually that the Uzumaki probably did win the battle in the long run. Naruto raised his hand. "Yes, Uzumaki-sama?" Jiraiya chuckled, though everybody could tell he was joking in a friendly way, rather than being condescending.

Naruto hesitated for a second, but Hinata gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. "Jii-san, is there a way to find out if I'm really an Uzumaki?" he asked nervously.

The Sannin grinned. "I'd be offended by you calling me gramps, but let's face it, I'm an old man, and the Uzumaki were known for being blunt with their nicknames. I happen to have an Uzumaki scroll sealed by a blood seal, and only a true Uzumaki would be able to open it," he said, knowing full well that Naruto could do it, and that with this many witnesses, questions would be asked about why the boy was treated so horribly. "If you can open it, not only will you have found out more about your family, but I'll also take you on as my apprentice! After all, an Uzumaki with no knowledge in fuinjutsu will never reach their full potential! It would be my duty to teach you the techniques!"

Naruto nodded, and walked forward. A random bully moved his foot out into the aisle, and Naruto tripped, but Jiraiya saw this happening, and caught Naruto by the scruff of his jumpsuit. Jiraiya paused for a second, having a bit of deja vu upon seeing how much like his old student Naruto looked. Jiraiya scowled at the bully for an instant, then grinned at Naruto. "I might take you on as an apprentice even if you're not an Uzumaki. You just look so much like Minato did when he was a little brat. I think it would be good for me! You're even a klutz!" he said happily, then set Naruto on his feet at the front of the class and glowered again at the bully who tripped Naruto. "Don't mock an orphan when they might be finding out about their family, kid. It's just plain mean, and never funny. I'm gonna suggest a demerit for you to the principal."

Iruka, noting this, wrote down the boy's name on a sticky note and handed it to Jiraiya. Turning to Naruto, the Chuunin instructor said, "Realize that no matter the outcome of this, you're still my precious student, okay Naruto?"

The blond nodded, and turned to Jiraiya. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

Jiraiya pulled out a kunai. "Just nick your finger or thumb or something, and then," Jiraiya said, then pulled out the scroll and continued, "put your blood on the seal here." The Sannin indicated a seal near where the scroll opened.

Naruto nodded, and pricked his thumb with the kunai, giving the ninja tool back to Jiraiya. Pressing his thumb against the seal, Naruto waited with bated breath, along with Hinata, while the seal registered his blood. Naruto closed his eyes, fearing the worst, but when he heard Hinata gasp, he opened his eyes to see the scroll opening a bit, having been properly unsealed.

Jiraiya grinned. "Class, I present to you all Naruto Uzumaki, apprentice of Jiraiya the Toad Sage!" he exclaimed, then patted Naruto's back and whispered so nobody else could hear, "I have some big explanations to give to you and your girlfriend when you get home. Don't let on to anybody but her and maybe Teuchi that there's something more to your apprenticeship, and make sure Hinata doesn't tell anybody if you do tell her."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you so much, Jiraiya-sensei," he replied.

The Sennin replied, "Don't thank me yet. I still owe you way too much for you to be thanking me."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a confused look, but headed to his seat when Jiraiya gave him a push forward. The blond walked up the steps to the back of the class, sitting down next to Hinata, who hugged him closely. "I'm so h-happy for you, Naruto-kun!" she whispered softly, tearing up a bit.

Naruto realized just then that he was crying just a little, too.

Later, at Naruto's apartment

Naruto opened the apartment door, Hinata right on his heels, only for them to find a surprising face waiting for them in the foyer.

"Hey, kiddos!" Jiraiya exclaimed, leaning against the wall.

Naruto nearly panicked. "How did you get in here?! The barrier seal-"

"Was put in place by me in the first place," Jiraiya finished, then continued, "Come inside, and I'll explain everything."

Naruto nodded hesitantly, entering the domicile with Hinata. They all sat at the table, and Jiraiya began his elaboration of his role in Naruto's life.

"Just so you know, nothing I say leaves the two of you, though you can talk to the Sandaime about it if you want. Got it?" he asked, and Naruto and Hinata nodded. Jiraiya continued, "Now, Naruto, I apologize for you having such a crappy life so far. I tried to do more, but the council is a pain in the ass, and throws its weight around in all the wrong directions. However, things have changed, and now I can be in Konoha for an extended period of time to perform my duties as your godfather."

"GODFATHER?!" Naruto and Hinata shouted in unison. Almost immediately, Hinata slapped the man. "Where have you been all his life?!" Hinata shouted accusingly, then realized what she'd done and blushed bright red, shrinking into her jacket a bit.

Jiraiya frowned at this reaction. "Don't feel bad about that slap. I admit, I deserve a good deal more than that. However, I have done things behind the scenes for Naruto, even though he's only just met me. For example, this apartment building is in my name. I bought it so Naruto could live here, and placed the barrier seals on it. Also, I pay for a lot of Naruto's food and supplies, as well as several of his bills. The most important thing, though, is that I've kept the wrong people from finding out who his parents are, so that they wouldn't decide to kill him before he wound up becoming great like them. And believe me, with the talent that runs in his veins, it's only a matter of time, and having the right teacher, before you become amazing, kid," the Sannin explained.

Naruto frowned, becoming very serious. "Who were my parents, Jiraiya?" he asked.

Jiraiya smiled. "It's really fitting that you wear orange, you know, because the colors people associated with your parents, red and yellow, make it when combined. Your mother was the Bloody Red Habanero, Kushina Uzumaki, while your father was the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. I guess that makes you the Orange Hokage-To-Be, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze," he explained with a grin.

Naruto smiled widely. "My parents were awesome ninja! That's awesome!" he exclaimed happily.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, I know, they certainly were, but you can't tell anybody just yet! If people in Iwa heard about this, they'd have their armies at our doorstep in days! So I need you to keep quiet about it, no matter how much it hurts. I know you're probably really proud of who your parents are, but they wouldn't want you dying young because of them," he chastised.

Hinata frowned slightly. "That doesn't explain why everybody in the village treats Naruto-kun so horribly, Jiraiya-sama," she said, her eyebrows furrowing.

Jiraiya nodded. "I was getting to that, Hinata. Now, Naruto, you know the story behind how your dad died, right?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "He died killing the Kyuubi, saving the village from its rampage," he answered.

Jiraiya shook his head. "That's how the history books say it happened, yes, but the fact is, the Kyuubi is made of chakra. You can't kill chakra, only seal it," Jiraiya explained, then looked Naruto and Hinata in the eyes and asked, "I have to make sure you understand this concept. When you seal a kunai into a scroll, the scroll does not become the kunai. Sadly, everybody in the village seems to be making this mistake with what Kyuubi was sealed into. You see, Kyuubi is a sentient mass of chakra, so he couldn't be sealed away within a scroll like a kunai. What Minato did was seal half of the Kyuubi into himself, and half of it into you, Naruto. He made what is called a jinchuuriki out of both of you," Jiraiya explained. He then put his hands firmly on Naruto's shoulders and continued, "Make no mistake, Naruto. You are not the monster the villagers tell you you are. You are as much a hero as your father for containing that thing every day of your life so far."

Naruto frowned, suddenly realizing why all the adults hated him, why they pulled their children back when he wanted to play with them. He began crying, wondering why it had to be like this. Hinata wrapped her arms around him, despite how much doing so in front of somebody else embarrassed her. "I'm sure he had a reason, Naruto-kun. And even if the whole village turns against you, I'll stay by your side," she declared softly.

Naruto nodded dumbly. "Thanks," he said, putting an arm around Hinata as well.

Jiraiya nodded. "You have a smart girl there, brat. Minato did have a reason. Trouble is brewing in the world, and he believed that with the Kyuubi's power, you could do some real good. Minato believed in you, and I bet that even now, he still does. As it stands, though, the people of the village should have never found out about you being the jinchuuriki. Their identities in Konoha's history have been kept secret for their safety, and whoever let it slip that you are one is going to have hell to pay if I ever find out their identity. Your mother was the previous jinchuuriki, with the only bad incident having to do with Kyuubi being him escaping during your birth, and the one before her was Mito-sama, the Shodai's wife. Heck, the only reason the majority of the people in the village know Kyuubi is here is because of whatever went wrong the night you were born. Honestly, the whole event shouldn't have happened in the first place. The seal placed on Kushina was one of the best we've ever had, second only to yours! I think there might have been somebody behind the whole thing, but I have no way of knowing," he explained, ranting a bit near the end, then winked with a smirk and said, "Now, that's enough with the sad stuff. Ask away! Any question about your parents I can answer, I will. I bet you're really curious about them, aren't you?"

Naruto nodded, and gripping Hinata's hand, he began asking many, many questions through the night...

End Chapter Three


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